Written questions by Mayer.

What steps she is taking through the forthcoming 10-year bus procurement plan to support UK (a) bus manufacturers and (b) UK businesses in the bus manufacturing supply chain.

On 13 March 2025 I launched the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, bringing together industry experts and local leaders to ensure that the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. The Panel is a forum to enable collaboration between Government, manufacturers and the wider industry. The Panel has been developing a pipeline of future zero emission bus orders to provide better planning certainty to the sector – for both manufacturers and their supply chain. Data has been gathered on potential bus orders over the next ten years and will be published on GOV.UK shortly.The procurement of zero emission buses is led by Mayoral Combined Authorities, Local Transport Authorities and bus operators.

What steps he is taking to increase the volume of exports of a) UK buses and b) UK technology and services within the bus manufacturing supply chain.

The Government is focused on boosting the UK bus manufacturing sector’s long-term competitiveness and advancing zero-emission vehicles. Trade agreements will open new export opportunities, remove tariffs, and introduce flexible rules of origin, benefiting automotive businesses nationwide. According to industry figures, nearly 80% of UK automotive production is exported, with direct export support available from DBT alongside dedicated automotive export campaign support, and through UK Export Finance, with £14.5 billion allocated for UK exports from UKEF in 2024/25. The £2.5bn DRIVE35 programme accelerates R&D and commercial scale-up in strategic vehicle technologies, unlocking investment in zero-emission bus manufacturing and supply chains, increasing competitiveness in international markets.

What estimate he has made of the number of people employed a) by UK bus manufacturers and b) UK companies within the bus manufacturing supply chain; and what steps he is taking to increase jobs in this sector.

According to industry estimates, the UK Bus Manufacturing sector employs around 4,300 people directly with approximately 13,000 in the supply chain. HMG is committed to boosting the UK bus manufacturing sector’s competitiveness, accelerating the transition to zero-emission vehicles and increasing jobs. This includes the £2.5bn DRIVE35, to support R&D in strategic vehicle technologies, accelerate their commercial scale-up, and unlock investment across zero emission vehicle manufacturing, including buses. In addition, HMG announced £15.6 billion for Transport for City Regions alongside a Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel bringing local leaders together to translate funding and reform plans into a steady and growing pipeline of manufacturing orders.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on policies to support growth in the bus manufacturing sector.

My officials work closely with DBT officials, including through the ongoing work of the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on the ecological restoration and improvement of a) privately owned woodland, b) ancient woodland and c) plantations on ancient woodland sites in each of the last three years.

There are a number of different Government funded actions that contribute to ecological restoration and improvement of woodland in England, so it is not possible to give a precise answer to this question. The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) option WD2 – woodland improvement, administered by the Rural Payments Agency and supported by the Forestry Commission, covers activities in England aimed at improving woodland condition and biodiversity. This includes interventions such as thinning, selective felling, pest control, and habitat enhancement; and can include restoration of ancient woodland for the relevant landowners. This is one option available to support ecological restoration and improvement of woodlands and the spend for this option over the past three years is as follows (note we do not have the data required to differentiate between privately owned woodland and other ownership). 2022: £11,591,8322023: £13,014,5272024: £19,314,485 A supplemental action is also available under CSHT to restore and maintain plantations on ancient woodlands sites (WS2). This supplements WD2 and is verified before agreement to be on a plantation on ancient woodland site. This was first available in 2023 and the spend for this over 2023-24 is: 2023: £79,2662024: £555,703

What measures the Government will take to hold contracting authorities accountable in delivering procurement strategies that support domestic supply chains, particularly within the UK bus manufacturing sector.

This Government is committed to ensuring procurement strategies do everything possible to support UK jobs and industry. Since coming to office, we have consulted on procurement reforms to boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses including across the UK bus manufacturing sector. We are supporting Combined Mayoral Authorities to coordinate the procurement of buses through a Crown Commercial Service commercial agreement. This will be supplemented by the soon to be published ten-year pipeline of future bus orders, which will provide much needed certainty to the sector.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Railways Bill factsheet: tickets and retail, published on 5 November 2025, whether the Office of Rail and Road will lead the consultation on the statutory Code of Practice or whether this will be undertaken jointly with her Department.

The future rail retail industry code of practice will set out clear requirements for how Great British Railways (GBR) interacts with all market participants. It will be owned and managed by the Office of Rail and Road, and GBR’s licence will require compliance with it. The Railways Bill enables the Secretary of State to introduce the licence condition that will underpin the code of practice and give it force.The Government has confirmed that there will be full consultation on the production of the code of practice. Further detail on that consultation will be set out in due course.

What estimate she has made of the level of additional funding for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to undertake the proposed functions in the Railways Bill; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of ensuring the ORR has sufficient levels of resources to achieve a sufficient level of (a) independence and (b) expertise to fulfil the proposed functions in the Railways Bill.

The Railways Bill gives ORR a statutory power to levy a fee, providing stable and predictable funding to support its independence and effective operation. ORR's own analysis has been reflected in the SR settlement for 2026–27 to 2028–29. Final funding levels will depend on how ORR implements its new role and will remain subject to Spending Review outcomes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with officials in (a) the Netherlands and (b) Slovenia on their plans to ban enriched cages for layer hens.

We have regular engagement with counterparts in other countries on farmed animal welfare issues, including on cages and other close confinement systems.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of removing the 50 kilometre regular service restriction currently applied to drivers aged 18 and 19 holding a category D licence on the number of qualified drivers.

The Government recognises that the bus and coach sector has had issues recruiting and retaining bus drivers in recent years, and is considering next steps following the consultation held on this issue in April 2024.

Whether she plans to publish an update to the National Travel Attitudes Study statistics.

The National Travel Attitudes Study (NTAS) is currently paused whilst the department explores options for its future.

Whether her Department’s road safety strategy will include an assessment of the potential impact of daylight hours on accident rates.

The Government treats road safety seriously and is committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. The road safety strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish the strategy this year.

What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the Just Transition Work Programme ahead of COP30.

We are committed to working with all Parties to secure outcomes across the COP30 negotiations, including on just transitions, which are a critical opportunity to ensure that workers and communities benefit from the economic transition to net zero. The Secretary of State has spoken to a range of international counterparts over the last year regarding maximising the ambition of outcomes at COP30 this year.

Whether her Department plans to provide financial support to small businesses to purchase zero emission heavy goods vehicles after 2026.

The Government has kickstarted the deployment of zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and their supporting charging and fuelling infrastructure through initiatives such as the Plug-In Truck Grant (PiTG), the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme, and the up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID).These initiatives are open to all businesses, including small businesses, to support the uptake of zero emission HGVs by lowering upfront costs and supporting the provision of dedicated HGV charging infrastructure.The PiTG remains in place until the end of the 2026/27 financial year. The ZEHID programme is funding hundreds of ZE HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites by March 2026.While the Depot Charging Scheme will close on or by 28 November 2025, by supporting necessary infrastructure, the funding will provide confidence to the logistics sector and support British businesses to transition to zero emission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the maintenance of newly planted trees during the first 12 months after planting.

Forest Research has produced an Urban Tree manual that provides advice on selecting and procuring the right tree for the right place in urban areas. It also highlights long-term issues of the threats to existing trees from pests, disease and climate change, and describes the benefits to the environment and for well-being that urban trees can provide. This is available at Urban Tree Manual - Forest Research. The UK Government has also funded the Caring for Newly Planted Trees guidance, published by the Tree Council. Other guidance is also provided by the Forestry Commission, for example through the England Woodland Creation Offer maintenance support and more general guidance on protecting newly planted trees, including Tree Establishment and Management on the Climate Change Hub and guidance on maintaining new trees after restocking.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a zero emission vehicle mandate for heavy duty vehicles.

The Government believes that more needs to be done to decarbonise the road freight sector. We are considering our regulatory approach to decarbonise new non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles and will engage with stakeholders in due course.

With reference to the statistics entitled Monthly total number of electric vehicle public charging devices available in the UK, published on 1 October 2025, if she will provide a breakdown by local transport authority.

Geographic breakdowns of the number of public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK are published in the tables for Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: October 2025. Table 1a summarises the number of public charging devices by region and local authority. Table 7a summarises the number of public charging devices by parliamentary constituency. The Department does not hold this data summarised at local transport authority level. The tables are included as a supplementary attachment to this response.

What steps she is taking to improve charging infrastructure for electric heavy goods vehicles.

The up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) is kickstarting the deployment of zero emission HGV infrastructure and has already funded 73 planned infrastructure locations, representing over 360 chargers. The Government is further supporting the installation of charging equipment at depots through the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2024; published on 23 October 2025, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the (a) number and (b) types of procedures carried out compared to the previous year.

In 2024, there were 2.64 million regulated scientific procedures carried out in Great Britain involving living animals. This is a decrease of 1% on the previous year, and the lowest number since 2001.The trends in the number of animals and types of procedures carried out each year are linked to the volume and nature of scientific work undertaken and products being brought to market.The Home Office is responsible for regulating under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to assure compliance with protections afforded to animals used in science. Trends in requirements are the responsibility of other authorities. For instance, regulatory requirements for animal testing are the responsibility of the relevant regulators, such as the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (for medicines) and Health and Safety Executive (for chemicals).

Representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 40025 on Parliamentary Estate: Detergents, whether the list of cleaning products that are not certified as cruelty-free has changed since April 2025.

The list of cleaning products used on the Parliament Estate that are not certified as cruelty-free has not changed since April 2025.Our cleaning contractor continues to look for suitable cruelty-free alternatives.